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Bats are mammals with high biodiversity and wide geographical range. In Brazil, three haematophagous bat species are found. Desmodus rotundus is the most documented due to its role as a primary host of rabies virus in Latin America. Bats are known to harbor various emerging viruses causing severe human diseases. Beyond zoonotic viruses, these animals also harbor a diversity of non-zoonotic viruses. Papillomaviruses are circular double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA) viruses that infect the epithelial and mucosal cells of many vertebrates, occasionally causing malignant lesions. High-throughput sequencing has enabled papillomaviruses discovery in different bat species. Here, 22 D. rotundus samples were collected through the rabies eradication program in Rio Grande do Sul. The DNA extracted from pooled intestines was amplified by the rolling-circle amplification (RCA) method and sequenced using the Illumina® MiSeq platform (San Diego, CA, USA).Analysis revealed three contigs corresponding to the Papillomaviridae family, representing three novel viruses named DrPV-1, DrPV-2, and DrPV-3. Phylogenetic analysis suggests DrPV-1 may constitute a new species within the Dyophipapillomavirus genus, while DrPV-2 and DrPV-3 may represent different types within the same species from a novel genus. This is the first description of a papillomavirus in the D. rotundus species, contributing to the characterization of PVs in the Chiropteran order.

In the Neotropical region, the white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus youngi) is the rarest of the three species of vampire bats. This bat species feeds preferentially on bird blood, and there is limited information on the viruses infecting D. youngi. Hence, this study aimed to expand the knowledge about the viral diversity associated with D. youngi by sampling and pooling the lungs, liver, kidneys, heart, and intestines of all animals using high-throughput sequencing (HTS) on the Illumina MiSeq platform. A total of three complete and 10 nearly complete circular virus genomes were closely related to gemykrogvirus (Genomoviridae family), smacovirus (Smacoviridae family), and torque teno viruses (TTVs) (Anelloviridae family). In addition, three sequences of bat paramyxovirus were detected and found to be closely related to viruses reported in Pomona roundleaf bats and rodents. The present study provides a snapshot of the viral diversity associated with white-winged vampire bats and provides a baseline for comparison to viruses detected in future outbreaks.

Cetacean morbillivirus is an etiologic agent associated with strandings of live and dead cetacean species occurring sporadically or as epizootics worldwide. We report 2 cases of cetacean morbillivirus in humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Brazil and describe the anatomopathological, immunohistochemical, and molecular characterization findings in the specimens.

Lectins are proteins that reversibly bind to carbohydrates and are commonly found across many species. The Banana Lectin (BanLec) is a member of the Jacalin-related Lectins, heavily studied for its immunomodulatory, antiproliferative, and antiviral activity. In this study, a novel sequence was generated in silico considering the native BanLec amino acid sequence and 9 other lectins belonging to JRL. Based on multiple alignment of these proteins, 11 amino acids of the BanLec sequence were modified because of their potential for interference in active binding site properties resulting in a new lectin named recombinant BanLec-type Lectin (rBTL). rBTL was expressed in E. coli and was able to keep biological activity in hemagglutination assay (rat erythrocytes), maintaining similar structure with the native lectin. Antiproliferative activity was demonstrated on human melanoma lineage (A375), evaluated by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT). rBTL was able to inhibit cellular growth in a concentration-dependent manner, in an 8-h incubation, 12 µg/mL of rBTL led to a 28.94% of cell survival compared to cell control with 100%. Through a nonlinear fit out log-concentration versus biological response, an IC50% of 3.649 µg/mL of rBTL was determined. In conclusion, it is possible to state that the changes made to the rBTL sequence maintained the structure of the carbohydrate-binding site without changing specificity. The new lectin is biologically active, with an improved carbohydrate recognition spectrum compared to nBanLec, and can also be considered cytotoxic for A375 cells.

In the fall of 2021, a significant mortality event in free-ranging Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis) occurred on a soccer field in southern Brazil. Approximately 130 adult southern lapwings died after showing weakness and flaccid paralysis, characterized by the inability to move or fly and drooped wings. Due to the large number of animals affected, there was concern that they had been criminally poisoned. The affected birds were found to have ingested maggots in fresh poultry litter incorporated into the grass surface. Postmortem examinations of four southern lapwings revealed no significant gross and histological findings. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for influenza A virus, flavivirus, and paramyxovirus was negative. Based on the epidemiological and clinical findings and the negative viral results, a presumptive diagnosis of botulism was made. This diagnosis was confirmed through mouse bioassay and seroneutralization, which detected botulinum toxin type C. Maggots loaded with botulinum neurotoxins were the probable vehicle for intoxication in the outbreak. Considering the impact of avian botulism on wild bird populations, our results may help prevent similar outbreaks in the future.

Pestiviruses are globally distributed and cause substantial economic losses to the cattle industry. In Brazil, the country with the world’s largest cattle population, pestivirus infections are well described in some regions, such as in the south, where a high frequency of BVDV-2 is described and contrasts with the high prevalence of HoBi-like pestivirus (HoBiPeV) in the northeast. However, there is a lack of information about pestiviruses in the Amazon Region, in northern Brazil, with a cattle population estimated at 55.7 million head, which has a significant impact on the international livestock market. Therefore, this study investigated the seroprevalence and genetic variability of ruminant pestiviruses in 944 bovine serum samples from four states in northern Brazil: Pará (PA), Amapá (AP), Roraima (RR), and Amazonas (AM). Our results showed that 45.4% of the samples were seropositive (19.8% for BVDV-1, 14.1% for BVDV-2, and 20.9% for HoBiPeV). All samples were tested by RT–qPCR, and three were positive and classified as HoBiPeV in a phylogenetic analysis. These serological and molecular results contrast with those from other regions of the world, suggesting that the northern Brazilian states have a high prevalence of all bovine pestiviruses including HoBiPeV.

Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) is a zoonotic disease caused by a highly pathogenic virus that affects wild and domestic animal species, with rodents as its reservoir. Most recently, in South America, this virus was detected in an outbreak affecting humans in Peru. In Brazil, EMCV infection was described in some wild species, in horses, and once in farrowing pigs. The aim of this study is to report the reemergence of EMCV in commercial growing–finishing pigs from two different farms that experienced sudden pig death in midwest Brazil. This aim was achieved through gross pathology, histologic examination, RT‒PCR analysis, and genetic characterization of the virus. Clinical signs, such as trembling, dyspnea, and squealing sounds shortly before death, were only occasionally observed and were nonspecific. On gross examination, cardiomegaly was observed, along with multifocal pale tan foci in the epicardium extending to the myocardium on the cut surface. Microscopically, there was severe myocardial necrosis, dystrophic mineralization, fibrosis, and lymphoplasmacytic and histiocytic myocarditis. Gross and microscopic examinations of the rats were unremarkable. The RT‒PCR analyses of the pig and rat organs were positive for EMCV, and the phylogenetic analysis of the VP1 gene showed that the samples from pigs and rats contained similar strains that had their closest relatives identified in humans in Peru. This is the first genetic characterization of EMCV in Brazil, and the other findings confirm the reemergence of the disease that was transmitted from rats to pigs.